Board Memberships and Affiliations

Board Member

Houston Symphony Chorus

Virginia Babikian, returned from her European singing engagements, appeared in that role in spring 1971. [53] It was really up to Don Strong to use his own leadership and that of his cohorts to accomplish the objective of building HSC into the organization that it should be.

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Virginia Babikian sang its solos.

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At her retirement in 1986 Virginia Babikian called this workshop and performance one of the two most memorable occasions of her 19 years of HSC leadership. [64] The Houston Post's review was headlined 'Symphony Chorale Sublime,' [65]

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Virginia Babikian becomes HSC Director, 1977-1986

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HSO management immediately appointed Virginia Babikian to the post.
You will recall Virginia as the soprano soloist in the Stokowski recording of Carmina Burana.

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Virginia was a Professor of Voice and Artist in Residence at Houston Baptist University.In 1982, during her HSC Directorship, she left HBU to become Professor of Music and Chairman of the Voice Department in the Shepard School of Music at Rice.

Babikian focused.
A single 'Associate' professional assisted her, sharing the directing of combined rehearsals as well as directing sectionals.
Splitting into four sectionals was still feasible, [71] but was not as frequently done.
The Associates were Ray Witt (1977-78), John Burnett (1978-79), and then David Wehr (1979-86), who through long tenure became as identified with HSC as Virginia.

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Babikian, like Don Strong, was a perfectionist, often hammering away at short phrases.

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This writer would often marvel at her demonstrations for the soprano section. (The women's sections were studded with Virginia's own vocal students, to HSC's advantage.) We were drilled and re-drilled on the "schwa" sound, both for English and German, Virginia's language specialties.

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Virginia's HSC directorship was made more complicated as Maestro Foster resigned in 1978.

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Babikian quietly explained to us, "When in doubt, follow the Concertmaster, who is actually leading the orchestra.

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Virginia Babikian counted his Brahms Requiem concert series as one of her all time favorites. [74] Many hoped that Bergel would become the permanent maestro - but that was not to be.

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Virginia Babikian, and later Charles Hausmann, had difficulties reaching and communicating with Comissiona prior to piano rehearsals to ferret out tempo, dynamics, and phrasing. [77] So piano rehearsals often contained surprises!

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This was a repeat performance of A Child of our Time - when sung in November 1977 it was the first work that HSC prepared under Babikian leadership.
In 2005 HSC included its arrangements of African-American spirituals on our all-choral CD.
No choral singer is complete until he or she has participated in the pathos and redemption of this moving work.

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In these circumstances, Babikian was forced to relax the Chorus's own attendance standards (more than three absences and you are out) - a relaxing that was very irritating to loyalists who faithfully maintained their attendance.
Attrition during concert sequences (people beginning rehearsals on a work, but dropping out before concert time) rose. [82]
Lax communication of Symphony management to the Chorus staff.
Frequent last-minute changes of rehearsal location because of Jones Hall rehearsal-room preemption.
Poor communication with conductors. (Choristers arriving on schedule, only to twiddle their thumbs as a conductor rehearsed the orchestra was extremely irritating.)
A perception on the part of some that our director Babikian was not standing up for us with HSO management.
Throughout this problem time, Babikian was the consummate team player.
Encouraging us, cajoling us, she kept to herself whatever communications she was making about the problems to HSO management.

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The leadership of Virginia Babikian was fully affirmed.

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Hausmann also joins Urbach, Strong and Babikian (all described above) in bewailing the debilitating consequences of in-season attrition.

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The surest evidence was Virginia Babikian's own words. [93] Chorus numbers were depleted - Comissiona gave Hausmann 'marching orders' to increase them. [94] But, as in 1969 under Don Strong, while the increase was under way it was more difficult to raise the quality of the singing.